Farewell to Cedar Key

by Terri DuLong

  “What? You’ve held on to it all this time?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I guess she assumed back then that we’d be getting married, but when that didn’t happen, she told me to keep it. She said she had a feeling that someday the time would be right and I’d be giving it to you.”

  I shook my head. “Oh, my God, really? She never gave up on us, did she?”

  “Nope. Never. Just like I didn’t.”

  It was difficult to take my eyes away from the ring. I held out my left hand and smiled. It made my hand look different. But I was different. I wasn’t the young woman who had been unsure of herself, unsure of her life path or where she was headed. Now I knew. I knew that I was meant to be with Grant and meant to share the rest of my life with him.

  I pulled my gaze from the ring and looked into Grant’s eyes. In that moment I saw love staring back at me. And in that moment I knew I had never been happier.

  Grant told me later that he’d tipped the waiter to hold off on coming to take our dinner order, giving us the private time he wanted. Just another example of his thoughtfulness.

  When we had finally finished with dinner and dessert and were lingering over coffee, he said, “So, do we have a date?”

  “A date?”

  He laughed and nodded toward my ring. “Yes, I’ve asked you to marry me. You accepted. The next step would be to choose a date for the wedding.”

  “Oh, gosh. I have no idea. And not only a date . . . but where? Here? Boston?”

  “I’m going to leave the location to you. Whatever you decide will be fine with me.”

  “If I don’t get married here, on the island, I don’t think my mother will ever forgive me.” I took a sip of coffee and then it hit me. “Oh, I know. I’d love to get married in my parents’ backyard. You know, down by the water. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful setting?”

  Grant nodded and smiled. “It would be, and I know your parents would like that.”

  “Okay, then, that’s settled. Mom will want to do the reception there too. God, she’ll be in her element planning this wedding.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  “And will your mother, Jeff, Melissa, and Dirk fly down to attend?”

  Grant laughed. “Are you kidding? Of course they will. They’ve been waiting for this day too.”

  I recalled what Melissa had said to me on Christmas, and I knew he was right. It also hit me that I’d never had a sister, but I’d be getting a sister-in-law.

  “Okay,” he said, taking the last sip of his coffee. “We have the where worked out, but that still leaves the when.”

  I nodded. “Right. Well, how about if I move up to Boston when Orli finishes school here in May and we plan the wedding for October. The weather is cooler down here late October, and it would be a perfect time for an outdoor wedding.”

  I saw a frown cover Grant’s face. “We have to wait that long?”

  “It’s only eight months, and weddings take time to organize and plan. Besides, knowing my mother, she’ll need all that time to make sure it’s the perfect wedding. Unless . . .”

  He looked up with a hopeful expression. “Unless what?”

  “Unless you’d rather we just run away and elope.”

  “Absolutely not,” he said, a grin covering his face. “I’ve waited this long, and I want us to have a proper wedding. October it is.”

  I had a feeling he’d say that. “Good,” I said. “Because it’ll probably take me that long to choose the perfect gown.”

  Grant laughed as he stood up and reached for my hand. “Let’s go. This is the first night of the rest of our lives,” he said before placing a kiss on my lips.

  48

  The next few days were a frenzy of visits and phone calls. First stop was my parents’ house the following morning.

  My mother opened the door and scooped both Grant and me into a tight embrace. Her eyes immediately went to my left hand.

  “Oh, your ring is gorgeous. Congratulations to both of you,” she said as she directed us to the patio. “Your father and I are having coffee. Come and join us.”

  My father pulled me into a hug, lifted my hand, and smiled. “Best wishes to both of you.” He clapped Grant on the back. “And welcome to the family. Officially.”

  “So,” my mother said as she filled two china cups with coffee. “Have you set a date yet?”

  “Not a definite date, but late October.”

  “Oh, good. That’ll give you plenty of time to get it all planned.”

  I shot a glance to Grant and smiled.

  “Have you decided on a location yet?” my father asked.

  “Actually, yes, we have.” I took a sip of coffee. “We were wondering if we could have the wedding and reception here.”

  My mother clapped her hands together in excitement. “Really? Here? Oh, Josie, yes. That would be wonderful. Of course you can.”

  “Good. We were thinking we’d have the ceremony down by the water. It’s such a pretty spot.”

  My mother nodded. “Oh, it is. Definitely. We’ll have a trellis with flowers, and I’ll arrange to have seating for the guests. Oh, and tents. I’ll rent some tents for the reception. We certainly have plenty of room to do all that. It’ll be so much fun.”

  I laughed. I knew my mother would enjoy every second of the planning.

  “How did Orli take the news?” she asked.

  Grant smiled. “I’d say she’s over the moon. We told her this morning, and she’s really happy for us.”

  “I’m not surprised,” my father said. “I think she’s always hoped this would happen.”

  “Have you decided who will be in the wedding?” my mother asked.

  “I want Orli to be my maid of honor, and Grant will have Jeff as his best man.”

  “Perfect,” my mother said. “And colors? Have you chosen colors yet for them to wear?”

  I laughed. “Not yet, Mom. I need to think about that.”

  “And your gown? And your plans to leave Cedar Key? Will you be staying here till October?”

  I shook my head. “No, Grant and I have discussed it, and after Orli gets out of school in May, we’re going to fly to Boston and settle in there. Get Orli registered at school for her senior year in the fall and let her get used to living in Danvers. We’ll all fly back here the week before the wedding, so we’ll have plenty of time to do last-minute things. And my gown . . . I think I’d like to shop in Boston for that, and I was wondering . . . maybe you could come up this summer and go shopping with Orli, Molly, and me.”

  “Oh, I’d love to. Yes, absolutely, your father and I will fly up for a few days.” She shot a glance to my dad and said, “But we have some news too.”

  I saw the grin on my father’s face. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, your mother and I have decided we’re going to take the month of June and spend it in Paris.”

  “Oh, wow! Really? That’s great. I know you loved it when you went before.”

  “We did,” my mother said. “We were only there a week, so this time, we thought . . . well, life is too short. Why not rent an apartment and spend the whole month of June there.”

  “Good for you,” Grant said and reached for my hand. “Which reminds me, we have to decide on a honeymoon destination.”

  “We do,” I said. “There’s a lot to planning a wedding, so I’m glad we have eight months to get everything done.” I looked at my watch. “Well, we need to get going. I promised Mallory we’d stop by.”

  Before I even had a chance to open the car door, Mallory was running out of the house. She pulled me into a hug and grabbed my hand.

  “Oh, Josie! I’m so happy for you. Your ring is stunning. Well done, Grant,” she said, running over to give him a hug too. “Come on in. You have to stay and have lunch with us. I made crab salad sandwiches.”

  I gave Mallory all the wedding details over lunch. We were enjoying coffee when we finished, and Grant was watching football with Troy.

  “Will O
rli be your maid of honor?” she asked.

  I avoided eye contact and nodded. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  A huge smile crossed her face. “Mind? Don’t be silly. Of course, I don’t mind. It’s only appropriate that Orli be part of the wedding party. Besides, I’m a tad too old for one of those fussy gowns.”

  I let out a chuckle. “Knowing Orli, she won’t allow it to be fussy. I think she’ll choose something elegant but chic.”

  “Have you decided on colors yet?”

  “Not yet, but since its late October I was thinking of maybe autumn colors for Orli’s gown, the flowers, and place settings. And I’d love it if you could fly up to Boston for a few days so we could shop together. My mother’s coming up, and you could also help me choose my gown.”

  “Oh, Josie, I’d love to. You know that.”

  “Great. Grant has a guest room, and we’d love for you to stay with us.”

  “It’s a deal,” she said, jumping up to place a kiss on my cheek.

  Our next stop was the book café. We walked in to find it pretty full for a Sunday afternoon. Some tourists, but I spied Grace and Chloe at a back table and waved as Grant and I grabbed a spot up front.

  Suellen came to take our order and immediately saw my ring. Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped and yelled, “Oh. My. God,” yanking my hand toward her. “You’re engaged!” Which caused heads to turn and Grace and Chloe to come running over, laughing.

  “I am,” I said as Suellen relinquished my hand to let them have a look.

  “When? When did this happen?” Chloe said. “And congratulations to both of you.”

  “Last night,” I told them. “Grant took me for dinner to the Island Room.”

  “How romantic,” Grace said. “And your ring is just beautiful. So when’s the big day?”

  “Late October,” both Grant and I said together.

  Chloe pulled up a chair. “Okay, we want all the details.”

  Grace stood there laughing. “Maybe they’d rather be alone.”

  I waved to the empty chair. “No, no. Join us.”

  Grace sat down and I launched into another description of our plans.

  “Wow,” Chloe said when I finished. “So you’re leaving the island too. Well, I’m glad your wedding will be here in Cedar Key. It won’t be a problem at all for Gabe and me to come and stay a few days. That is . . . if we’re invited.” She let out a chuckle.

  “Of course you’re invited,” I told her.

  “I’m so happy for you.” Grace reached over to pat my arm. “For both of you. Are you planning a large wedding?”

  I smiled. “Hmm, knowing my mother, yes, I’d say pretty large.”

  “Oh, that’s great. And what a perfect spot for a wedding—your parents’ property. Well, it looks like we’ll be having a dual going-away party at the yarn shop.”

  I looked at Chloe, who nodded. “Yup, Gabe made an offer on the house and farm in Ormond Beach, and it was accepted. We’re waiting now to hear about the business space downtown for the yarn shop, but it looks like we’ll be moving over there by late summer.”

  “Oh, Chloe. That’s wonderful news and congratulations to you.”

  “Thanks, and yeah, I’m pretty excited about all the changes ahead for me. But . . . I don’t think I see a wedding on the horizon for us. At our age, I think we might just opt to live in sin.”

  All of us laughed as I replied, “Hey, whatever floats your boat, I always say,” and I saw the wink that Grant gave me.

  49

  Like many other newly engaged women, I’d suddenly become very left-handed. Wherever I went during the next couple of weeks, my ring and upcoming marriage were the topics of conversation as soon as anybody glanced at my hand.

  Simon had been sincerely happy for me when I broke the news to him and quite understanding about the fact that I was giving my notice to leave my position in early May. Although I felt bad about leaving him without a nurse, he assured me the office would be fine and I was to focus on getting ready for my move.

  Keeping so busy made the days go even faster. Within eight weeks Orli and I would be on our way to Boston to begin a whole new life.

  I walked into the office on a beautiful spring morning to find Brandy gabbing excitedly on the phone. “Oh, have to go,” she said, before jumping up to grab me in a bear hug. “You’ll never guess. You’ll never guess what happened yesterday.”

  I let out a chuckle and shook my head. “No, I have no clue. What’s going on?”

  She backed away and took a curtsy. “Well . . . I’ve been accepted into the medical assistant program at Santa Fe Community College.”

  “What?” This was the first I’d heard about any such plan. “What do you mean? You’re leaving the office too?”

  She waved a hand in the air. “No, no. I’m staying here. I’ll be taking evening classes, after work. Well, I started thinking about you leaving and, you know, about poor Dr. Mancini not having a nurse. So I decided that maybe if I became a medical assistant, I could help him out in addition to handling the front desk.”

  “Wow, I didn’t even know you were considering this, Brandy.”

  She nodded her head emphatically. “Right. Nobody knew except Dr. Mancini and me. He thought it was a great idea and told me to apply, so I did . . . and I got accepted for the fall classes. I called him last night to tell him, and he’s really happy for me.”

  I pulled her into another hug. “So am I. Good for you. I think that’s great news. You’re such an asset to this office.”

  “Well, I have you to thank for that. For giving me a chance. That day you told me about the job and then helped me with the interview. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t given me an opportunity.”

  “I did give you a chance, but you made it work out. You’re an excellent employee, and I have no doubt you’ll be a great medical assistant. Hey, who knows, maybe your next step will be nursing school.”

  A look of surprise crossed her face. “No! You think?”

  I laughed. “I think you can be and do whatever you want.”

  By the first week in April, my house was looking more like a storage unit than a place where two people resided. Boxes filled the family room; photographs and paintings on the wall had been removed; and brochures for florists, photographers, and caterers filled the desk.

  I had just finished packing up a box of yarn in the guest room when I heard Mallory come through the front door.

  “Guest room,” I called to her.

  She walked in and shook her head. “Geez, what a mess. Are you moving everything up there with you?”

  I laughed as I brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes with the back of my wrist and stood up. “No. Not quite. But we’re taking important things like books and yarn, and certain photographs and paintings that are special to us. A lot of it will stay here, but Grant said to box up what we want to take and have it shipped.”

  I turned around to hear Clovelly let out a meow and scooped him up in my arms. “Yes, fella, you are definitely coming with us too. Not to worry.”

  Mallory reached out to pat him. “How do you think he’ll do on the flight?”

  “Probably fine. Grant bought a ticket for him to fly in his carrier in first class with us. Remember when Marin flew all the way back from Paris with Toulouse? He did great.”

  “Yeah, he’s such a great cat, so I’m sure Clovelly’ll do okay too.”

  “Time for a lunch break,” I said, putting Clovelly back on the bed to curl up. “Can you stay?”

  “Definitely,” she said, following me into the kitchen. “So your mom sees the doctor in a couple weeks, doesn’t she?”

  I nodded as I pulled items from the cabinet and fridge to prepare a tuna sandwich for us. “Yeah, she does. I think she’s a little nervous, but she’s doing so well, and I’m so grateful for that. Since her diagnosis, she’s really mellowed out.”

  “I’ve noticed it too. Sometimes a life-changing event will do that—cau
se a transformation. Well, I’m happy for you, Josie. I know it wasn’t always easy getting along with your mom.”

  I diced some onions into the tuna fish and added some mayonnaise. “Yeah, it’s much more pleasant now. She’s so excited about planning the wedding. Oh, Grant and I have chosen the date—Saturday, October 24.”

  “Sounds great. I can’t wait. It’ll be the gala event of Cedar Key.”

  I laughed and placed the sandwich plate in front of her. “Sweet tea?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I bet Orli is getting pretty excited too. In a subtle way, I think that little instigator has been planning this event for years.”

  I let out a chuckle. “Could be. But I think whatever I decided, she would have supported me. But yeah, I know she’s thrilled that Grant and I are getting married.”

  “Oh, did you hear that Gabe is holding off going back to Philly till early June?”

  “No, I didn’t. Why’s that?”

  “Well, he and Chloe are going to do a road trip up there. They have plans to spend a few days outside of Atlanta so she can meet his daughter and family, and then Chloe will stay with him in Philly while he puts his condo up for sale and arranges for a mover.”

  “That’s great. I’m so happy for her. I remember when she first came to the island after her marriage broke up, she was so miserable and angry.”

  “Yeah, she really turned her life around, didn’t she? And the best part was reconnecting with Grace.”

  “Well, you know what they say about all behavior having a reason. Once Grace found out why her sister had always been so difficult, I think it made it easier for her to understand Chloe’s behavior all those years.” I chewed a bite of my sandwich, thinking about my mother and her sister.

  Mallory hit the side of her head with her palm. “Geez, I forgot to tell you the big news. Did you hear about CC? My mom said she called her last night, and it seems she’s broken it off with her boy toy.”

  “No! Really? What happened? I wonder if my mother knows.”